Hello everyone,
I've just started researching transplants and hair loss treatment in the last week after a 10 year stint of dodgy comb-overs, dangerously thin hair and denial about the extent of its departure.
The basics about me:
- Receeding hairline since 20, now 30
- Medium width hair, curls when longer
- Always had a comb forward messy hair style to try and cover up the hairline. This became harder and harder especially as I started working in an office.
For some fun here's a breakdown of the last week, of my thoughts and actions as I've slowly begun whirling down the rabbit hole of this strange world.
Wednesday
- Decided to look into a transplant and if it wasn't possible just do a buzz cut
- I had heard Turkey was well-renowned but many clinics and results looked dodgy so I moved on
- Ordered Finasteride, Minoxidil foam, Biotin and Nizoral after reading a reddit thread
Thursday
- Looked much closer to home in London where I'm based and booked a consultation at hshclinic of Wayne Rooney fame
- I saw hairsite and sent pictures to ASMED, HDC and BHR interested in FUE after looking at their top list in Europe
Friday
- ASMED responded first, were friendly, I liked the idea of getting a lot of grafts in one session and they had impressive transformations on their youtube
- I booked a 5000 FUE transplant with Dr Erdogan for three weeks time @ 12500 EUR
- Tried to pay a 3000 EUR deposit through revolut but was stopped at the last moment as they needed the address of the receiving Turkish branch which I didn't have then
Saturday
- Learn from my consultation at hsclinic my donor is "average" from a quick eyeball by the Dr
- Have second thoughts about ASMED due to seeing some negative results on the forums with see-through hair lines and poor growth
- Ordered a dermapen Ultima A6 after seeing Shifty's thread
Sunday
- Cancelled the surgery with ASMED and decided not to rush into anything for the next few months
- Deep dived into the forums on the best FUE surgeons and like the look of Bruno Ferreira and Bisanga for FUE
- Discover that FUT hasn't been cast away completely and is even preferred for high NW people
Monday
- Discover Hattingen and am very impressed with their specialty of large graft FUT on high Norwood people, their results on the foreign forums and reputation of ethical standards. I also really like Switzerland for some reason without ever having been there.
Tuesday:
- Receive my Ultima A6 pen and torture myself with it, seriously I must be a massive wimp as it hurts like hell!
Wednesday:
- Make this thread
This could have been a cautionary tale of rushing into decisions too quickly had I not been stopped by a tiny detail before sending over a deposit to ASMED (I know there are many people with great results there but it's not the right choice for me I think).
A week ago I had the mindset that I needed to do a burst of research and then just pick somewhere, partially because everyone is WFH so it's a good time to get one done without showing others, but mostly I was reacting emotionally and wanted to fix the issue quickly after deciding to act.
I even specifically thought at the beginning "don't research too much or you'll end up not booking one now". Well, after researching more, I haven't booked one and it was the right choice. I want to see how my hair and body react to finasteride for 6 months, whether minoxidil and dermarolling makes a difference and most of all I want to be very comfortable that I've taken my bet on a clinic with the highest chance of success.
I'm sure I'll have more moments of understanding like during this week so if anyone who has been around for a long time and researched this thoroughly has any more insights I would be very grateful!
What's the point of this thread then? It's to introduce myself and to track any progress with the big 4 treatments over the next 6 months, keeping myself accountable and motivated - then I'll make a separate post for when/if I decide to do a transplant.
My routine I'm starting at the moment is:
- Finasteride 1mg per day
- Minoxidil foam once per day
- Vitamin D3 drops once per day
- Nizarol twice a week
- Dermapen once a week
Here's a couple pics of my hair as of the other day with a lamp shone on it, one of the treatments and one after my first dermapen session.